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Ten years was a long time to wait for revenge, but it would be worth it. After everything Zeus had done, he deserved to die. As did anyone associated with him. Including his new family. Hades and Hera had been so close to killing him. If not for that First, then the Saber Vortex would have been destroyed. Hades hoped that Zeus had trouble sleeping at night, knowing that Rory was dead because of him.

Hades was holding a crystal ball, it looked like an eye. It had belonged to the Fates once. Clotho, Lachesis, and Atropos had been good friends of his once upon a time. They would determine how long mortals and immortals would live. They had determined one's fate and one's death. After the downfall of Olympus and their failure to cut Zeus' thread of life, Hades and Hera had killed them. But Hades had kept a little memento of them. The crystal eye glowed blue as Hades told Hera.

"I have. After years of searching, the key to getting onto that planet and getting to Zeus is here. Her, the blond haired one."

Hades said, waving his hand over the crystal eye. The image of Sojourn and Gossamer talking appeared on it. Hades had no interest in the Goddess of Spite. She meant nothing to the Ancient God. Instead, he was interested in the Secundae.

Elysia: The Secundae Orphanage
Hera looked into the crystal eye and at the blond haired girl. Perhaps this Sojourn was one of Zeus' new children. Knowing her husband, it wouldn't shock her. He had fathered plenty of children back on Olympus. She doubted that his lust for women or his fertility had gotten weaker over the years. It didn't matter who the girl was, if she was the key to her and Hades getting onto the Saber Vortex, then that's all that mattered. Hera grinned.

"It doesn't matter who she is. As long as she gets us there."

The girl would just be expendable in the end. Around her neck was a locket. She touched it as she thought of what to do. An idea came to her and her smile turned into a sneer. They would just wait until the girl was alone. Not that Hera cared about orphans. These new gods and their children were beneath the Ancient Goddess. However, she had learned that the High Council on Elysia did care about this place. If they directly attacked the orphanage, a fight with the new gods would break out. While Hera was sure she and Hades could easily take them on. However, she wanted to use discretion. She doubted that eyes could be on the young woman all day and night. Eventually this Sojourn would be alone and then they would strike.

"No, I don't want to marry him," Gossamer said. The unaccustomed honesty came out with a quiet vehemence. "He's a monster. Besides, I love someone else."

Marriages weren't typically arranged against the couple's will back on Grace. Citizens were certainly encouraged to seek partners who would further their desirable genetic traits, but if they chose not to do so, the worst they would face was gossip and disapproval. No law compelled marriage or punished those who made less socially acceptable choices. Gossamer's situation was an exception, though. An Ancient God had handpicked her to marry his son and bear children from the union. It was considered a great honor. To reject such an offer was simply not permitted.

Gossamer's expression and the slight shake of her head made clear she wasn't prepared to discuss the subject any further. Not yet. Sojourn seemed nice enough, but the stakes were just too high. Gossamer wasn't going entrust all of her secrets to someone she had just met.

What Sojourn said about being able to leave was encouraging. If Gossamer could gain Daviona's trust enough to be allowed off the premises occasionally without having to sneak away each time, it would certainly make her life a lot easier...

Gossamer nodded and followed Sojourn when Daviona called them in for supper. She couldn't help wondering if Sojourn might be a potential friend. It would be nice to have a few of those here on Elysia.

***

Nicolai carefully scaled the wall to Gossamer's bedroom window. He was not wearing any armor, for the sake of stealth and easier climbing, and had traded his uniform for dark colored, nondescript clothing that would camouflage him in the shadows. Nicolai tapped faintly on the window with one finger... and he had barely started tapping when it opened. He smiled a little, seeing that she had been waiting for him. He slipped through the opening almost noiselessly, and then they were in each other's arms, embracing and kissing with the fervor of love mixed with desperation. Their kisses were silent, though, passionate as they were. No one could know Nicolai was here. They couldn't even risk speaking words out loud.

Gossamer took Nicolai's hand and led him to her narrow bed. He lay down beside her, wrapping his arms around her and stroking her hair. Gossamer shifted so her lips were right by his ear and whispered, "I'm pregnant."

She knew it would come as a shock to him. Gossamer hadn't intended to hide her pregnancy from Nicolai, but there simply hadn't been an opportunity to be alone together to share the news. Now, as quiet and careful as they had to be, she could spare no niceties for how she told him. She could imagine all the thoughts running through his head - the same emotions she had felt when she realized. Excitement. Fear. Doubt. Joy. Terror.

After a moment, Nicolai kissed her again. He nuzzled against her, his lip brushing her earlobe as he whispered, "We'll run away together."

That response made Gossamer smile. Of course, they both knew it wasn't that simple. Their masters wouldn't let them go that easily... nor did the two of them intend to let their masters get away with their crimes forever. For now, though, the pleasant dream of fleeing to some safe place where their worries couldn't find them was soothing enough.

Was all Sojourn said in reply to what Gossamer said about her betrothed. She wondered if the man she loved would want the baby she was carrying. If life was like the fairy tales she read to the younger kids, then Gossamer would marry the man she wanted and raise her baby. Real life didn't always work like that. She could tell the other goddess didn't want to talk anymore about her situation and let it drop.

At dinner, the kids were curious about Gossamer. Some of the very little ones didn't understand she was pregnant. They were just excited to make a new friend. Doviana had to remind them that Gossamer would be helping them for the next few months and there would be plenty of time for them to get to know each other.

That night, Hera and Hades launched their plan. They didn't want any outside interference and waited until about midnight. All they wanted was the blond hair girl and figured the rest of the orphanage would be fast asleep. Sojourn had trouble sleeping. She wasn't sure why, but maybe it had to do with how the day had went. Hester had been adopted out and Gossamer arrived. Maybe all the talk about families and babies was getting to her. Making her think about her own sad little situation.

Sojourn tossed and turned and attempted to go back to sleep. Of course, the two Ancient Gods who needed her for their own plan, prevented that from happening. She sighed when she realized sleep was not coming. She looked out the window and saw the moon in the sky. It was late, she should get some sleep. Doviana always had chores for her and the other orphans to do.

But sleep wasn't coming and she looked over at her bow and quiver that were resting against her dresser. A little night training wouldn't hurt, she thought. Once she ascended and could leave this place, it would surely be safe to assume that she would not always be using her weapon of choice in the daytime. Perhaps night time practice would help move her closer to ascension. Doviana wouldn't like it, she didn't like any of the orphans to be out at night. But Doviana was asleep and what she didn't know wouldn't hurt her.

Sojourn quietly got dressed and teleported herself outside the orphanage. Maybe an hour or so of training would tire her out anyway. It would at least get her mind off of other things. She had no idea that the two Ancient Gods were very pleased that she had left the safety of the orphanage and had headed into the woods. She was unknowingly walking into their plan to get to Zeus' new home.

At first, nothing was amiss. Sojourn had a favorite tree she used for practice. Years ago, she had painted a red bulls eye on it. Her goal was to see how many times she could hit the same mark. She was getting better and better each time. She went to retrieve her arrows from the tree's trunk, when she heard a growl. Sojourn's blood ran cold, as she turned and saw a pair of angry yellow cat eyes staring at her.

"Nice kitty..."

Sojourn said, holding up her hands as she stepped back from the tree. She only had two arrows in her hand and her bow on her back, but she suddenly was not worried about the rest of the arrows in the tree trunk. As she moved backwards, the creature moved forward. At first she thought it was a lion. It had a lion's head, but in the moonlight she saw more of its body. That's when she realized it wasn't some wild lion, it was a monster. It had the body of a goat and it's tail hissed at her. It was a serpent's tail!

"I..."

Before Sojourn could think of anything to say to the monster, it breathed fire at her.

"Oh, shit!"

She yelled as she tried to move out of the way. Her left ankle got burned in the process. She screamed in pain but didn't have time to even check her leg. The monster was coming at her. Sojourn got up to her feet and ran. Forgetting in her panic and needed for survival that she could teleport. As fight or flight kicked in, her mind didn't register the pain her ankle was in from being burned. The creature was chasing her, breathing fire as it went. Some of the brush and trees were catching on fire. Sojourn had to jump and dodge to avoid the attacks.

Sojourn came out of the clearing of the woods and saw the orphanage. For a brief moment, she debated heading in and locking the door. Once she got inside, she'd be safe. 'Idiot!' Her mind screamed at her. She couldn't lead the monster right to the orphanage. It could try to kill the kids. What the hell was she going to do?! She turned around and thought she needed to protect the other orphans. She ran past Gossamer's window and suddenly a portal appeared about fifty yards from her. She had no idea where it led to but her plan was to lead the creature through it. Keep the orphanage safe from it and then find a way back to Elysia. The creature's head was growling and its tail was hissing at her. It kept shooting fire at her and Sojourn's only goal was to get through that portal. She had no idea that Hera and Hades were waiting in the shadows next to the portal, ready to follow her and the monster through it.

"There is no hoping to it, boy. I know she's proud of you. She's always been proud of you."

Rory had loved her son very much. While she loved the Saber Vortex, her most favorite job in the world had been being a mother. Rory had been such a better parent then he had been. If Cid could go back in time, he'd definitely would try to be a better father to his children. He had tried so hard to be a good king, he forget his children needed a father. Some had turned out okay, others...not so much. He hoped that if Optimus did become a father someday, he wouldn't be a father like Cid. That'd he try to be the type of parent Rory had been.

"Let's get this show on the road."
Cid said. Obviously a celebration honoring the late Queen couldn't start without her family. Cid both loved and hated this day. He loved honoring Rory and everyone celebrating her life. He also hated she was gone. He wished she was still here. Cid and Optimus would give speeches about Rory, as would other lords and ladies of the Saber Vortex. Rory had been very loved here. Not just by her family, but by her people. After kind words were said, then the party would begin. Because a party was what Rory would have wanted. She wouldn't want people to mourn her, she'd want them to enjoy life.

Of course, Cid and Optimus had no idea how very different today's celebration would go compared to the ones in the past.

Optimus replied to Cid with a smile. He had never doubted his mother's love for him. She had told him everyday she loved him. Even being Queen and all the responsibilities that came with it, Rory always made time for him. He didn't think of his father as fondly. He used to think Jett was a good father and king, but then he abandoned the Saber Vortex and him. Jett hadn't bothered to contact him or Cid in three years. Any fond memories he had of Jett were being replaced with anger towards him.

Although today wasn't a day to think of his absentee father. Instead, it was to honor his mother. Talking about her was always easy. Everyone had loved her. She had been kind and a wise ruler. The Saber Vortex had never been the same since she had died.

The hardest part of the celebration was the official speeches. Listening to the different lords and ladies and his uncle talk about Rory was hard. It was even harder to talk about her in front of all the people. But he got through it, without shedding a tear, like he did every year. They were in Rinoan, the capital city of the planet. It was also the largest city and many people had traveled far and wide to be here. Of course, other cities were also having their own celebration for Rory's life. It was a world wide event.

"....I know she is still with us. Watching over us. My mother wouldn't want us to mourn her loss but instead, to celebrate her life. She always loved music and dancing."
Optimus looked to the sky and said.

"We love you, Mom."

And with that, the celebration really began. There was music, dancing, and games being played. Optimus and Cid just had no idea that pretty soon the party was going to be crashed.

Gossamer and Nicolai were both light sleepers. Neither of them had led particularly safe lives to begin with, thanks the cutthroat competitive nature of society on Grace and the demands of a job protecting the interests of Ancient Gods, and the possibility of someone discovering and reporting their relationship made them instinctively careful to avoid vulnerability as much as possible. A normal person probably would not have awoken, but Gossamer and Nicolai were on their feet and alert at the sound of a scream in the distance. They gave each other a questioning look, but then the sounds of a scuffle in earnest carried in from the outside.

For just a moment, they hesitated. If they were seen, they really didn't have a good explanation for what a guard was doing hanging around the orphanage in the middle of the night in civilian clothes. That sort of exposure could lead to a lot of trouble. Possibly of the lethal variety.

On the other hand, though...

Gossamer looked at Nicolai and sighed, and he nodded. He picked up his crossbow from the corner, while Gossamer fastened on a belt with a pair of sheathed daggers and grabbed her spear. They both knew they couldn't just ignore a threat so close to the orphanage. Their rough lives might have left some callouses, but they were not yet so hardened that they would stand by and let innocent children die. Gossamer was first out the window and down the side of the building, with Nicolai following closely.

When they hit the ground, they saw Sojourn fighting some sort of monster that neither of them had ever seen before. Nicolai took aim with his crossbow and fired a bolt at the creature, at the same time creating a magical snare in the hopes of slowing it down to prevent it from reaching Sojourn. Gossamer, meanwhile, charged at the beast with her spear. As focused as they were on the attacking monster, neither of them were paying much attention to the portal Sojourn had opened.

Elysia: The Secundae Orphanage
Sojourn had to protect the orphanage. Even if that meant going through a portal to an unknown world. Her only thought was to protect the other orphans. She had found the creature, it was her duty to stop it. She just hoped whatever was on the other side of the portal was a very quiet, maybe almost abandoned planet. She didn't want it to hurt anyone.

The monster growled when Nicolai and Gossamer attacked it. It clawed at the magical snare to break it apart. When Gossamer charged at it, the creature whipped around and grabbed Gossamer with its tail. The serpent head hissed at Gossamer, attempting to sink its fangs into her neck.

Sojourn stopped in front of the portal. She turned and frowned seeing Gossamer in its grasp. She grabbed her bow off her shoulder and fired a shot at the monster.

"Hey, asshole! Let her go!"
Sojourn yelled at the monster. Her arrow hit its shoulder. It growled in pain.

"Oh, you didn't like that?! Come and get me then!"

She yelled, firing her last arrow at the creature. The second arrow nicked its ear. She had made it very angry now. While still holding onto to Gossamer, it started to run after Sojourn again. Sojourn looked briefly at the portal. She had no idea where it was going to led to. She had never left Elysia or the safety of the orphanage in her life. But she had to protect the kids from this beast. She took a deep breath and ran through it, with the creature hot on her heels. Hades and Hera were quite pleased and followed through the portal as well.

Gossamer's reflexes were highly conditioned from years of training; she managed to avoid the creature's teeth, though the pressure of the tail itself left welts on her skin as it snaked around her. Now that she was at such close quarters with the beast, it would have been easier to use her daggers, but there was no feasible way to shift weapons from this position, so she slid her hand down the haft of her spear toward the tip to give her more accuracy and leverage, then aimed it at the creature's side and plunged it as hard as she could.

Nicolai swore under his breath when the creature broke the snare. It wasn't unexpected - that sort of thing didn't last forever - but the creature must be very strong to have gotten through it so fast. The frustration turned to fear when the creature caught hold of Gossamer. He didn't use the magical snare again, because he was afraid he might hit her instead by mistake, and he didn't want to make it any harder for her to fight off the creature's attack as it held her. Instead, he aimed for a front leg with his crossbow, hoping to distract it enough that it would let her go.

"Gossamer!" Nicolai yelled as the monster pulled his lover through the portal as it chased Sojourn. Without hesitation, he dived in after them.

Saber Vortex
It was always hard to talk about Rory. Cid missed her so. He had tried so hard to be a better man this time. She had been an orphan and until she met Jett, all they had was each other. He gave a speech talking about her wonderful qualities and that he would always miss her. He was glad that he only had to talk once in front of everyone, it would have been too much to do it all day. Although people would come up to him and his nephew to talk. He was talking to one of the lords when the portal opened, right in the middle of the city square.

Sojourn ran through it with the monster right on her heels. It still held Gossamer in a tight grip with its tail. It was in pain from Sojourn, Gossamer, and Nicolai's attacks, but it was a strong creature. It would take a lot to take it down. People screamed and Cid turned and looked at it in shock.

"What the hell is a Chimera doing here?!"
Cid exclaimed. No one else would know what he was talking about it. A Chimera was a monster from his home world, Olympus.

"How is it here?"

He said quietly to himself. Rory's final spell....it was supposed to prevent something from this from happening. He didn't have to time to figure out how it was possible, he had to help get the people to safety.

"Everyone, move!"
He yelled at the citizens. Since Rory's death, the Saber Vortex had been very peaceful. Attacks were just distant memories. The creature was very angry and breathing fire.

"Optimus! Its belly is its weak spot!"

Cid yelled to his nephew. He had a feeling that Optimus would try to help take down the creature. After all, he was basically the planet's king. A good king would defend his people. Sojourn immediately regretted coming through the portal. Her hopes of where ever it led being abandoned was ruined. She had apparently crashed a party and put even more people in danger.

"Damn it."
She grumbled to herself. She heard an old man yelling to someone about the belly.

"Hope you don't mind if I borrow this!"
Sojourn told a guard as she grabbed his sword.

"Hey-!"

"I'll give it back!"

Sojourn yelled to the guard and charged at the creature, it was her fault this Chimera was here. That's what the old man called it. In an attempt to protect the orphanage, she had just put more innocent people in danger. She had to make that right. Even if she got more then just a burned ankle in the process. It growled at her, ready to strike the young goddess down.

Hera and Hades quietly followed through the portal. How perfect, a party. The chaos of the Chimera's arrival, would hide them. Hera saw him, Zeus. He was trying to help people get to safety. She could kill him now, he'd never expect it. He'd never be able to defend himself. It was so tempting...Her hand balled into a fist as she debated doing just that.